Team MIA Must Call Cuddy
by DD Agent
Summary: House comes in one sunny Monday morning to find that all his team and Wilson aren't there. So he calls Cuddy. She agrees, in exchange for him doing double clinic duties for a fortnight, to be his 'team' for the case. Fun ness and flirting ensue.


**Team MIA. Must Call Cuddy. By DD Agent**

New House fic, woo hoo! This one came to me just this morning after working on some ideas for my other House fic "Bentley". Don't worry; it should be coming off hiatus in the next fortnight or so with a fresh take on things. Also, could the person who I PM-ed a description of Gwen send me what I sent, I couldn't find the original PM and I forgot to copy it to another word document. I would be eternally grateful if you could.

Dedication: Everyone at Huddy Online forums who have made me really welcome. :D

Okay, plot: House comes in one sunny Monday morning to find that all his team and Wilson aren't there. So he calls Cuddy. She agrees, in exchange for him doing double clinic duties for a fortnight, to be his 'team' for the case. Fun ness and flirting ensue.

Rating: I'm gonna go for a T, because I'm still not comfortable writing a lot of smut as of yet. Am getting better though.

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, sadly. If anyone wants to give them to me for Christmas, I would be more than happy.

Timeline: I've caught glimpses of series 5, so I would say that this is definitely after 'Joy' but after that I'm not so sure. Bear with me, its not on UK TV yet.

X

Gregory House had had a crap weekend. A car had backfired twice on the street pissing him off when he was playing piano, and he had lost an entire bottle of vicodin. He hadn't seen a glimpse of anyone, not even Wilson for the entire two days, and he found that he quite missed the company. Still, at least he would have the chance to spend the next few days berating his colleagues as they tried to solve another case. One of the interns had passed him something sent over from Cameron.

"Girl can't keep away from me," House muttered to himself as he trundled over to the lift. Pressing the buttons with his cane, he gave a nod to the people joining him up for the ride.

Finally the journey came to a stop and he hauled ass out of the lift and headed down the corridor to his office. Wilson's office was deceivingly quiet; maybe he was rolling drugs for his patients again. Engrossed in the file of the latest weird patient of the week, House stepped into the office.

"Twenty two year old male presented with symptoms of abdominal pain. Go," House looked up from the file to find the office surprisingly empty. Even if Thirteen had decided not to come in because of her disease problem, and Kutner had decided to take the day off work, then Foreman and Taub should still be in. But there was no one. Maybe it was the plague.

"Cuddy."

She would know where his team was. Every time one of them disappeared it was because of her. She knew everything that went on in the hospital, she would have an explanation. Getting in the lift again, House nodded and smiled to a lady who held onto her snotty young child tightly. Eventually, they reached the clinic without the little girl wiping her nose on him. House strode out and burst into Cuddy's office, not worried about what she was doing.

"Where's my team?"

"On the phone, take a number."

House took one look at the irritated Cuddy and sat down in the chair opposite her desk, playing chicken. She continued on the conversation, slapping House's hand when he tried to fiddle with several of the ornaments on her desk. He started whacking his cane against the floor ever louder but Cuddy still carried on the conversation, probably with a potential donor.

"Cuddy, I love you."

"Take a number."

Finally, Cuddy finished the call. She straightened out her cards and put her pens back in their holder before turning to him. It was good to let him wait.

"What can I do for you Doctor House?" she asked in her most polite voice, noticing that over the course of her phone conversation his face had turned to that of a sad puppy resting on his cane.

"I don't know where my team is."

Cuddy began to laugh; and then noticing House' expression, she passed him a piece of paper. He took it from her, ignoring the brush of fingers and read through it. No need to dreg up any of those feelings again.

_MEMO: Doctor House, Gregory [Diagnostics Department]_

_House, _

_Foreman is at a neurology conference in New York, will be gone for a few days. Taub has had holiday booked for the last month for the rest of the week, and Thirteen said that she needed a break urgently._

_Cuddy _

"There was a memo. That memo actually."

House looked at the memo, then at Cuddy, then at the memo again. His gaze returned to Cuddy once again, this time staring down her blue lace top at her expansive cleavage. He didn't remember getting any memos, although now that Cameron was gone he didn't seem to get any of his mail. None of his new staff could be bullied into doing it for him.

"I'm sure there is one of them missing," House smiled, making an extravagant gesture about tearing his eyes away from Cuddy's breasts.

"Kutner has the flu."

"Wilson?"

"Oncology conference in California. He'll be back in two days. Looks like you're on your own for this case. Try not to kill anyone."

Cuddy walked around the desk and patted House on the shoulder before moving towards the door. She had duties to do in the clinic; she didn't need to deal with House looking like a spaniel with a missing limb.

"I need a team, isn't that what you said to me a year ago?"

"I said you needed a team, true. You have a team; a new shiny team that just aren't here. Get over it."

Cuddy slipped on her lab coat and had her hand on the door handle when House's voice turned her around.

"You could be my team till the others get back."

Cuddy whipped around to stare at House who was looking at her earnestly. She couldn't believe what she had just heard, House wanted her help?

"I thought I was a sub par doctor?"

"Sub par's better than no par. We already proved that I need someone to bounce ideas off of. Unless you want me using the janitor again and we all know the controversy that stirred up…"

"No. I've got things to do."

Cuddy made it all the way out the door this time before a hand grabbed her arm and she was flung into the chest of one Gregory House.

_Why do you need to negate everything?_

She shook off the thoughts of their previous kiss, and concentrated on the present. However, the present included House's shocking blue eyes that gave him an ice like quality; and also chilled her skin so she came out in goose bumps. Bumps that tingled in places that she didn't want to be tingled.

"If you do it I will do double hours in the clinic for a week."

"Two."

"Three if you wear a short skirt and glasses," House teased, leaning on his cane.

"Two it is. See you in an hour, House."

Cuddy walked away from House, mentally chastising her for what she had done. She had given into him again, but this time it was unlikely that anyone was going to die if she helped him, there was a chance that someone would if she didn't. It was pretty quiet in the hospital without House's team charging up and down the corridors, and it would be nice to get back into some serious medicine for a while. Smiling, she decided to play House at his own game.

X

Symptoms on the board: abdominal pain and diarrhoea. New bottle of vicodin in his pocket. Coffee in the pot, something that Cameron had done, and now Taub did. He had put on a clean shirt for some reason. Maybe it was the way Cuddy was staring at him earlier; maybe…he was a doctor, not a shrink.

_I don't know_.

House shook his head clear of any other thoughts. Must concentrate on the patient. Must concentrate on the patient. Not on Cuddy, oh no.

"Sorry I'm late Doctor House, the Hospital Administrator kept me busy down in the clinic."

"No problem Doctor Cuddy, she's like that. Take a se…yowza. Does this mean I have to do three weeks of double hours?"

House had turned to look at Cuddy, who had changed clothes from earlier. The skirt was about eight inches long but not tight, meaning that a lot of thigh was showing without being completely indecent. The shirt she was wearing was blue, but buttoned down low enough so her bra could give a tantalising hint to what was beneath. She was also wearing glasses, just as he had requested.

Cuddy sat down and looked straight at House, smiling. She brought out a pad and pen and looked straight at the board. Both of them burst out laughing before House turned towards the board. Cuddy straightened herself out, and looked at the file provided for her.

"There is a god after all," was his muttered reply, blinking his eyes to make sure they were still working. He was going to go mad, she was driving him mad. Concentrate.

"Okay: patient came in with abdominal pain and diarrhoea, even though he hasn't been eating much lately. Go."

"Could be Gastritis. 10% of the people who come into the Clinic or the ER complaining of abdominal pain have it."

"True."

Cuddy stood up, pulling her skirt down a little way to keep herself decent. House just watched her legs move towards the board. Ever since the kiss, things had been extra tense between them, but filled with that sexual tension that they always had. Things had been simmering to a nice boil, but House had a feeling that things were going to start to burn in the kitchen.

"Food poisoning?"

"Always a possibility. Wouldn't be much fun though." House stood back and let Cuddy examine the symptoms in greater detail, while he admired how short her skirt was in greater detail. She was doing this to mess with him, but he just couldn't help himself. Sometimes being messed with was worth it for the sight of her dressed like _that_.

"Concentrate on the patient, not on my ass," Cuddy exclaimed, turning back to watch House's head shoot right up.

"Cystic Fibrosis. Explains all the symptoms."

"He doesn't have breathing problems, and they would have known from an earlier age."

House completely ignored her answer as he was watching how the fabric was moving on her upper half. "Get a CT of his abdomen and run his blood work. Should give us the answer fairly quickly."

Cuddy turned around, took off her glasses, and handed them to House. She gave a slow smile as his gaze was focused on her cleavage. She then extended her hand and moved his chin up so his eyes met hers.

"The Cuddy Strip Show is over. Run your tests; if you need any help find me."

"Will you wear the skirt?"

Cuddy ignored the remark, instead walked out of the office with a smirking House left behind.

X

House had run the labs and done a CT scan. He had also been in to check on the patient who was now vomiting and running a fever. Without anyone to go to, he decided to go to Cuddy. He opened the door to her office and found that she was still wearing the skirt. His temperature seemed to rocket up a couple of degrees.

"Did the tests. Need a consult."

Cuddy sauntered over and grabbed the results out of his hand. She held them up to the light, and House made sure that his hands were close to her hips.

"Colon cancer?"

"Would have to do a biopsy to be sure. Plus our resident boy wonder Oncologist is out of state," House replied, and pointed to something in the results, making sure that his hand now held Cuddy's hip.

"Celiac disease?"

"Weight loss due to his lack of eating. Could be. Not sure whether it would fit the fever."

Cuddy turned around to face House but was startled by his close proximity. He grabbed her before she fell, and once again they were too damn close.

"Could be Divericulitis. Abdominal pain, fever, diarrhoea, not eating. Symptoms fit."

"Go test him," Cuddy announced, not wanting to leave House's embrace. Neither of them made any action to move, but it was her who eventually had to break away when there was a knock on the door. House left just as a radiologist needing help entered.

Two hours later, when Cuddy had changed out of her skirt and most of the staff had gone home for the evening, House knocked on the door. She waved him inside and smiled as he sat down. The break between meetings had left the tension still there, impossibly strained, which was why he took a small pause before speaking.

"The kid has Diverticulitis, pouches forming in the wall of his colon and getting inflamed. Thank you for the help," House acknowledged, and Cuddy smiled. She knew there was tension between them, not the sexual tension that she knew about and liked having, but something deeper. Something to do with that damn kiss.

"What do you and your team usually do after you've solved a case?" Cuddy asked, her smile faltering slightly as House stood up. He wasn't going to stick around, he was just going to leave things between them the way it was and there was nothing she could do.

"Drinks, dinner. Lots of things."

"Great."

"Foreman and Taub usually go out for a beer. Kutner and Thirteen sometimes join them, or they go back to his for pizza and a video. I go home. Alone."

Cuddy's smile turned to dismay as House walked out of her office like she knew he would. The relationship they had been building over working together just broke apart, small as it was. She felt like crying, but she had made a promise that she would never again cry over Gregory House. She never stuck to it.

X

"Morning House."

House walked into his office the next Monday to find Foreman reading a medical journal, Thirteen doing her best Emo impression, Taub showing off photos from his holiday and Kutner drinking a cup of coffee. They acknowledged him as he came through, but it just didn't have the same energy as when he diagnosed with Cuddy. The case was in his arm, but it felt like dead weight. A week of boredom and tension had made his double clinic hours drag seemingly forever.

"Case. Bleeding internally with no current signs of trauma."

Thirteen and Foreman grabbed for the case and began to bump ideas off of each other. House started to write ideas on the board, remembering the sight of Cuddy standing up there in a too short skirt wistfully. Kutner joined House at the board and passed him a cup of coffee.

"Who gave you the case?"

"Cameron. She caught up with me at the door and handed me the file. Poor dear, she's obsessed with me. Terrible infliction, she's our next case."

Suddenly the phone rang and House picked it up, glad of the interruption. Someone wanted a consult down in the clinic. Sighing, he rang off, told the ducklings to come up with any answer and test him, and made his way down to the clinic. Anything to keep his mind off Cuddy was in his favour of late, just to get the damn image of his lips on hers out of his head. Or that damn skirt. Damn Cuddy.

As soon as House was out of the room, Wilson slid the door open on the diagnostics office from the balcony and slipped inside. Taub passed him a drink and he sat down to observe the gang.

"How's things going? Kutner how's the flu?"

Kutner mocked cough before grinning wickedly. The others began to laugh, and Taub passed Wilson his holiday snaps. Wilson was glad that his two friends were acknowledging the sexual tension between them, but they were doing it too slowly. He had money on them, something had to be done.

"Hopefully House's 'consult' will be arriving anytime soon."

X

House pushed open the door to exam room one, startled to find Cuddy standing there without a patient. Or was she the patient? Either way, they were in close quarters with no obvious means of escaping the conversation legitimately.

"Did you ask for a consult?"

"No, I was here to give a consult."

House rolled his eyes and realised that the Ducklings had something to do with this. Looking at Cuddy, he realised that he had the chance to sort things out. He had enjoyed working with her, staring at her ass, but overall he missed _her_. They couldn't work together like they had been; he needed to go to her almost daily with his crazy theories.

"While you're here, you can help me with something. Patient has a high temperature, a funny feeling in her stomach and sweaty palms. Heart's beating faster than it should."

Cuddy had moved closer to him, and he towards her. He made a show of thinking about her patient before returning his eyes towards her.

"Tell the patient that she needs to check whether her doctor is having the same symptoms. If he is, and I think he is, it could be an epidemic."

Cuddy grabbed the shirt ends and pulled him towards her, mouths meeting and tongues clashing. House threw his cane aside and grabbed Cuddy with both hands and dropped her in the patient chair, all the time kissing her as roughly as he could get away with. She pulled his shirt off, revealing the taut t-shirt underneath. His hands slid up her thighs, bunching her skirt at her waist.

"You want extra time off clinic?" Cuddy asked, groaning as his mouth made his way down his neck. His laughter was muffled against her skin, causing it to tingle in pleasure.

"Of course. Its not like Hospital Administrators turn me on or anything, I just want time off of clinic."

Wilson, Foreman, Kutner, Taub and Thirteen waited around the corner to see what would happen when they both came out, although they were in there a good half an hour before they surfaced. The nurses outside had decided not to disturb Doctor Cuddy and Doctor House while they were in the exam room. They had learned it was better to leave them alone, especially when Cuddy was giving House a good tongue-lashing.

_End_


End file.
